As a leader, it can feel easier and sometimes faster to just roll up your sleeves and get the job done yourself. After all, that’s what’s made you successful so far, right? The problem is, if you keep doing that, you not only risk burning yourself out, but you also rob your team of the chance to grow, step up, and deliver. In Episode 2 of Leadership Unlocked, we explore the art of stepping back. That is, knowing when to pause, when to give direction, and when to step in with purpose so that you can empower your team, build accountability, and create permanent impact.

This is one of the most common challenges leaders face: learning how to step back so the team can move forward.

Why stepping back is so hard

Many leaders fall into the same traps:

• “It’s quicker if I do it myself.”
• “My team are already too busy.”
• “It’s my job to work the hardest.”

Sound familiar? These thoughts often come from the right place — a genuine desire to deliver quality work and protect your team. But the impact is damaging. It disempowers your team, creates dependency, and leaves you carrying too much of the load.

The truth is, what got you here isn’t what will make you successful in the next stage of your career.

Shifting your role

Simon Sinek puts it simply: leaders go from being responsible for the task to being responsible for the people who do the task.

That shift doesn’t mean lowering your standards. It means redefining success. Instead of “Did I do it perfectly?”, the real measure becomes: “Did my team learn, grow, and deliver this well — maybe even better than I could have?”

When you start seeing high-pressure moments not as times to step in, but as opportunities to coach, guide, and empower, everything changes.

The cost of holding on too tightly

When leaders take on too much, teams get frustrated. They want to help. They want to contribute. And when they’re not given the chance, they disengage.

One leadership team we worked with resisted letting go during a period of growth. They held onto the “big, important” work themselves, insisting their teams were too busy. Within 18 months, turnover spiked. Exit interviews revealed the same theme again and again: “I didn’t get the chance to grow.”

Here’s the paradox: while leaders thought they were protecting their people, those same people were actually bored and they left.

Stepping back without losing control

So how do you step back with confidence, especially in moments of pressure? Here are a few practical tips:

1. Check in before you jump in. Instead of taking over, ask questions:
   • “What’s your understanding of what’s expected here?”
   • “How confident do you feel about delivering this?”
   • “What support do you need from me?”
2. Add permanent value. If you do need to step in, do it in a way that equips your team for next time. That might mean clarifying expectations, sharing a framework, removing a barrier, or offering feedback that builds their confidence.
3. Let go in the learning moments. Sometimes things won’t be perfect. That’s okay. Progress matters more than perfection. Those slightly awkward, messy moments are where real growth happens.

The big takeaway

Stepping back is not a sign of weakness. It’s a conscious, intentional act that builds trust, resilience, and capability in your team. The more you practise it, the more your people will rise to the occasion, and the more space you’ll create for yourself to focus on what really matters as a leader.

So next time you hear yourself thinking, “It’s easier if I just do it,” pause. Take a breath. Check in before you jump in. And remember: your role isn’t to do it all — it’s to build a team who can.